It's Showtime for Edie Falco Comedy

It's Showtime for Edie Falco Comedy

Fast Tracked Lionsgate-Showtime Pilot Stars Three-Time Emmy(R) Winner as a New York City Nurse

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Three-time Emmy(R) Award winner Edie Falco is returning to premium cable television in a new, half-hour single camera, dark comedy for Showtime, it was jointly announced today by Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime, and Kevin Beggs, President of Production and Programming for Lionsgate Television. Falco will star as a strong-willed, iconoclastic New York City nurse juggling the frenzied grind of an urban hospital and an equally challenging personal life.

(Logo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060131/SHOWTIMELOGO )

The pilot -- a co-production of Showtime and Lionsgate Television -- will go into pre-production immediately and shooting will take place in New York.

"To be bringing Edie Falco to Showtime is both a privilege and an honor," said Greenblatt in making the announcement. "She sits firmly in the pantheon of the great actresses of our day, and to have found a show and a great role that meets her standards after six seasons of The Sopranos is our distinct pleasure and great fortune. Bada bing is all I can think of to say!"

"The opportunity to explore the human fallout from our broken medical system in this compelling single camera comedy for Showtime was an incredibly exciting proposition," commented Kevin Beggs. "That we will be doing so with the peerless Edie Falco as our heroine elevated the opportunity exponentially. It is our privilege to be working with Edie and the talented creative team that will bring this to life."

"My time on The Sopranos was so rich and so full; the challenge has been finding something else that would excite me. This character and the writing are truly thrilling," said Falco.

Falco will play an indomitable nurse with a special calling who doesn't hesitate to challenge her superiors -- and the often untenable status quo -- by taking matters into her own hands in order to save lives. While brilliantly in control on the job, her personal life is precarious, unpredictable, and demanding in ways that she is surprisingly not always prepared for.

In the tradition of WEEDS (another Showtime and Lionsgate series with a flawed but utterly compelling female character at its core), this medical show breaks new ground with its no-holds-barred, darkly comedic view of a health care system gone awry.

The pilot was written by Evan Dunsky; Linda Wallem (The Comeback, That '70's Show) and Liz Brixius are the executive producers, show runners and writers. Richie Jackson will serve as co-executive producer. Caryn Mandabach is also executive producer.

For her role as Carmela Soprano, Edie Falco was nominated six times for a Lead Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy(R) Award -- and won three times. She has also collected two Golden Globes (seven nominations) and three SAG Awards (seven nominations). On Broadway she starred in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, 'night, Mother and Side Man.

Despite her acclaimed, dramatic turn on The Sopranos, Falco is no stranger to comedy. She recently appeared on a three episode arc of 30 Rock. She is represented by ICM and Jackson Group Entertainment.

About Showtime

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME(R) TOO(TM), SHOWTIME(R) SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME(R), SHOWTIME BEYOND(R), SHOWTIME NEXT(R), SHOWTIME WOMEN(R), SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE(R) and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD(TM), SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(TM) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND(TM). SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME(R) PPV.

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning the 2006 Best Picture Academy Award (R) for CRASH and operating as a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 11,000 motion picture titles and television episodes is a valuable source of stable, recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

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Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060131/SHOWTIMELOGO
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Source: Showtime Networks Inc.

CONTACT: Richard Licata of Showtime PR, +1-310-234-5480,
Richard.licata@showtime.net; or Leah Krantzler of The Lippin Group for
Lionsgate, +1-323-965-1990, lkrantzler@lippingroup.com

Web site:

http://www.sho.com/

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